which notch?

which notch do you guys think is better ? a notch made out of steel plate or one made of tubing . i will eventualy put a fifthwheel hitch on it and would like to know which one would be stronger.

I personaly think that a plate notch is because it allows more weld surface. as long as you use thick enough material. this is just my thought, I'm sure others will differ..

double post..damm

i would guess a plate notch is stronger unless you use fish plates on the tubing joints. but a tubing notch is plenty strong, just becuase it is stronger doesnt mean you need the extra strength lol.

I am new to this site and as soon as i look around some more and find a thread for it i will formally introduce myself, but in the meen time i have been around dump trucks my whole life and take alot of that experience in to consideration in my projects, now it may be over kill but i like plate notches on the big trucks unless it is a back halfed frame and when its bags over axles i like to do two simple parrallel bridge bars but what i do is once the notch is done i take a whole saw to each notch and with the bed off slide my bars through the notch to the other side and cut off the extra length that way theoretically you dont even have to stress about weld strength because you are placing the pressure througout the entire notch. Others probably do this to, just my two cents, sorry for the lengthy response.

i have the plated notch in mine ..

You really think there is a huge difference in strength between them. If they are using the same thickness materials i really dont see a difference. Would depend more so on the instalation. An 8 piece welded all the way around and an tube notch welded and gusseted at the seams will both be strong. My opinion is more directed at the application. In a box frame i use 8 piece notches, and in a C channel frame i'll use a tube notch.

thanks guys

I agree with you, you could have a my 220v welder burnin the shit out of that tube notch and it could tow a house or welded up 8piece with junk popcorn welds, it really does depend on the instalation.

I agree with you, you could have a my 220v welder burnin the shit out of that tube notch and it could tow a house or welded up 8piece with junk popcorn welds, it really does depend on the instalation.